Tagged: Stamps

July 25, 2014

Blendabilities LOVE and How Perfectionism Can Ruin Your Creativity

Maybe you’ve noticed I’ve been absent from this space for far too long!!! And I’ve missed it. A lot. I love having a reason to get up and create everyday. And I’ve missed you. You’re amazing, and you keep coming back, and you continue to order from me. Thank you!!

So what’s with the title? Perfectionism is the reason I’ve been absent. Now I could say it is grandbabies and moving and school and volunteer work and, and, and, but truthfully, it’s perfectionism. See, if I couldn’t do blog everyday, with all the bells and whistles I wanted to add, then I just couldn’t do it. Which is ri-di-cu-lous!

In fact, right now I want to change everything about my website. And I mean everything! I want a different layout, a different color scheme and a different header, etc., etc. But I’m going to embrace the here and now, and remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, for heaven’s sake. I’m sure you would rather for me to post three or four imperfect blog posts every week on my imperfect blog than just disappear. Am I right? Well, I hope I’m right, because that is my new No-More-Perfectionism Manifesto.

How has perfectionism stopped you this year? Join me and embrace your imperfections and enjoy your creativity!! Don’t let perfectionism ruin your creativity!

I am in love!!! Yes, it’s true! My new, true loves are the Stampin’ Up! Blendabilities markers!!! Oh My Goodness!!!!!!!! Seriously, folks, FUN, FUN, FUN! I love coloring. Ask my grandkids. I can color Ariel, Barbie and Scooby Doo like nobody’s business. So give me a new tool for coloring and I’m in heaven. Love, love, love!

But patience is NOT my strong suit. If you look closely at the flower above you’ll notice that it is not perfectly blended. (Yep, there’s that perfect word again.) If you’ve used alcohol-based markers, like Copics before or you’ve seen a demonstration, you know that working in small areas is ideal because it allows the color to blend together while it’s still damp or something very scientific like that. But I, on the other hand, do not like the idea of using four different markers on one petal before moving on to the next one. People, that’s seriously time consuming!

Each color comes in a three pack. Brilliant! No blending guess work. My approach on this flower was to start with the darkest color of the Cherry Cobbler assortment, coloring in the shadows of the petals. Then I used the medium Cherry Cobbler marker and pulled the darker color out a little further. And finally coloring with the lightest shade, I blend out to the petal edges. I love the look of white spaces in watercoloring so I left some small white spaces. I then went in with the lightest Pumpkin Pie shade and blended into the white spaces for some additional color interest and depth.

I used the Daffodil Delight Blendabilities markers for the flower center. I then added a few of the tiniest pearls. Be sure to use the Memento stamp pad with your blendabilities. The Memento stamp pad and Whisper White card stock are a perfect pair for “blendabiliting”. Yep, I made that up. “Blendabiliting.” I think I will be doing a lot of that. I hope you like my very first blendabilities project. There are many more to come!

This card also features other great, new products: the Something to Say stamp set, the Moonlight Designer Series Paper stack and the Hello Honey Stitched Satin Ribbon.

(All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be ordered through my online store. Thank you! I love my customers! <3 )Stamps: Blended Bloom wood-mount #135906, Something to Say wood-mount #134177 or clear-mount #134180

Ink: Momento Stamp Pad #132708

Paper: Whisper White cardstock #100730, So Safron cardstock #126957, Moonlight Designer Series Paper stack #133701

Extras: Big Shot Die-cutting Machine #113439, cuddlebug embossing folder (the Lovely Lace ef #133737 would make a great substitute), Hello Honey Stitched Satin Ribbon #133671, Corner Punch #135346, Dimensionals #104430

Quick Links:

Shop Stamping Julie Stampin’ Up! store .
Subscribe to monthly My Paper Pumpkin craft kit. You’ll love getting these kits in your box each month. Sign up now and get 50% off your first two months!! Yay!
Weekly Deals! Check out this week’s deals.
Buy 3 Designer Series Paper packs and get one FREE

Enjoy! Julie

June 18, 2013

Really Good Greetings Thank You Flowers

I’ve had the idea for this thank you card swimming around my head since the introduction of the new Stampin’ Up! In Colors – Strawberry Slush, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Pistachio Pudding. If you look closely you’ll see that the front panel is scored into sections, then in each section is a Floral Fusion Sizzlets flower with the ‘gee, thanks’ (from the new Stampin’ Up! Really Good Greetings stamp set) stamped in the top middle section in Strawberry Slush.

I even made a matching envelope. The envelope was stamped with the flowers from Betsy’s Blossoms in Strawberry Slush. I’m making a coordinating envelope with almost every card these days. It doesn’t take much to do and I think it makes the card extra special. But if you are like me you are wondering about the dimensions on this card.

I had to do some real math to get this panel to work out just right. Here’s my math. The card base measures 3-3/4″ x 5-1/2″. The front panel is 3-1/2″ x 5-1/4″. The front panel is scored across at 1-3/4″ and 3-1/2″ and then turned and scored crosswise at 1-3/4″. When you are done, each scored section is 1-3/4″ square. Of course, the Simply Scored Scoring Tool made this a super simple task!

The new Strawberry Slush In Color is definitely one of my favorites, so I used that to stamp the greeting. If you stamp your greeting on an angle, you didn’t have to worry about lining it up just right to make it straight. Plus, I think it adds more whimsy and interest to the card. What do you think?

Each flower was centered with a circle of contrasting cardstock and topped with a rhinestone. I just love the self-adhesive rhinestone Basic Jewels. And I love the fact that they also come with a few rhinestones attached in a line, which was perfect to underline ‘gee, thanks’.

Here’s the card recipe:

(All supplies are Stampin’ Up! Click on the product link to visit the online store for pictures, details & ordering.)

Stamps: Really Good Greetings wood-mount #130330 or clear-mount #130333, Betsy’s Blossoms wood-mount #131955 or clear-mount #126006

Ink: Strawberry Slush #131178, Crisp Cantaloupe #131176, Pistachio Pudding #131177, Coastal Cabana #131175, Baked Brown Sugar #131174

Paper: Whisper White #100730

Extras: Big Shot #113439, Sizzlets Floral Fusion #115959, Simply Scored Scoring Tool #122334, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack #118309, Rhinestones #119246, Dimensionals #104430

GRAB YOUR GREETINGS AND SAVE! 25% off three popular stamp sets. Ends June 30th.

Enjoy! Julie

May 8, 2013

Simple Summer Silhouette Washi Tape Birthday Card

Another clean and simple (CAS) card today inspired by a card by Joan Ervin and the new Epic Day This and That Washi Tape. And since it’s Joan’s birthday, I made it a birthday card. Happy birthday, Joan! The blossoms are stamped from the Stampin’ Up! Summer Silhouette set and the clever saying is from the One in a Million stamp set. On the inside I stamped the continuation of the greeting.

I think this ‘that makes you one in a million’ birthday wish is so genius paired with the greeting on the front of the card! It makes me wonder ‘why didn’t I think of that’?I stamped the blossom in Calypso Coral to match the washi tape on the front.

I lined the envelope with Calypso Coral pattern paper from the Tea for Two designer series paper.

I stamped the front of the card with Black StazOn and extended the stem of the longest blossom with the fine tip of the Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker. Then I added the washi tape and layered the front of the card on a Whisper White card base.

I love the Summer Silhouettes stamp set and I’m so happy it will be sticking around in the next catalog!

Here’s the card recipe:

(All supplies are Stampin’ Up! Click on the product link to visit the online store for pictures, details & ordering.)

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes wood-mount #126445 clear-mount #125447, One in a Million wood-mount #126380 clear-mount #126382

Ink: Black StazOn #101406, Calypso Coral #126983

Paper: Whisper White #100730, Tea for Two dsp #129311

Extras: Epic Day This and That Washi Tape #131269, Stampin’ Dimensionals #104430

Quick links:
Click here for the retiring Stampin’ Up! stamps list.
Click here for the retiring accessories list (with updates on sold out product).
Order your favorites now!

Order your washi tape today and create some simple and interesting birthday cards.

Enjoy! Julie

April 18, 2013

Masculine Graduation Twist Card

This masculine graduation twist card’s unique fold is perfect for giving a gift card with it’s built-in pockets. This card made with the Blue Ribbon stamp set looks complicated but it is really quite simple. Below I’ve written some simple instructions with tips for getting it right!

I used a piece of Midnight Muse cardstock cut to 4-1/4″ x 11″ then scored it diagonally from corner to corner, scored and folded in half. That’s it! That makes the card base. Below you see I put in a business card to show you how you would use this with a gift card.

Now to embellish the card I cut a piece of Comfort Café Designer Series Paper to 4″ x 10-1/2″. Then cut your paper diagonally from corner to corner, flip the right hand piece over and match up the diagonal cut and cut these pieces in half where the pieces intersect. That’s the important part, lining up the pieces on the diagonal cut with the same patterns facing each other before cutting down the middle otherwise your dsp pieces will not line up right on the card.

To decorate the front I layered the ‘congrats’ ribbon with matching Cajun Craze, Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit, a color combination inspired by the Comfort Café dsp. Since this is an masculine card with masculine colors I chose to feed the Midnight Muse scallop back into the punch and punch it again into the scallop to make more of a star burst type pattern instead of a scallop as shown in the picture above.

Here’s the card recipe:

(All supplies are Stampin’ Up! Click on the product link to visit the online store for pictures, details & ordering.)

Stamps: Blue Ribbon wood-mount #125979 or clear-mount #125981, Itty Bitty Banners wood-mount #126255 or clear-mount #126257

Ink: Cajun Craze #126965, Midnight Muse #126860

Paper: Whisper White cardstock #100730, Midnight Muse #126843

Extras: 2-3/8″ Scallop Circle punch #118874, 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle punch #119854, 1-1/4″ Circle punch #119861, 1-3/8″ Circle punch #119860, Dimensionals #104430

Enjoy! Julie

April 16, 2013

Digital Tuesday – Scrapbooking with Pocket Cards

free no regrets digital download — No Regrets Pocket Cards Digital Download
#133387 FREE

Do you love the idea of traditional scrapbooking, but you just can’t seem to find the time? Stampin’ Up!’s divided page protectors may provide your solution. When you combine divided page protectors with customizable digital pocket cards, well, it’s a match made in heaven. And it gets even better when you can download the FREE digital No Regrets Pocket Cards.

Pocket cards are designed to slide in the pockets of divided page protectors and provide decoration and a place for titles and journaling.

The Happy Things Pocket Cards digital download is a great choice too. In this download you receive all the designer templates shown above plus a 30-piece SVG stamp brush set, 5 embellishments, and 3 digital punches. These cards can be printed and cut to journal on or you can add your journaling as text before you print – the choice is yours.

on holiday photobook template digital download — On Holiday Photobook Template- digital download
# 134376

The On Holiday Photobook Template is new this week. You can view more information and pictures of this new template by clicking on the picture above. You can watch video tutorials on using a photobook template here and here. (These were recorded before the latest update, but the basic functions are still the same.)

Here’s a video from Holly at Stampin’ Up! that will introduce you to the latest version of MDS!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE LATEST DOWNLOADS AND ORDER YOUR FAVORITES TODAY! This week’s downloads include a couple for Mother’s Day.

STILL NEED THE MY DIGITAL STUDIO SOFTWARE? CLICK HERE. It’s only $19.95 and includes $500 in digital content too! I think you’ll love it.

Enjoy! Julie